Railroad car stop



July 16, 1968 R. V. SWFTZER RAILROAD CAR STOP Filed Aug. 22, 1966 INVENTOR. RA. PH VSu/IIzEK BY i 1/15 ArraRmez United States Patent 3,392,679 RAILROAD CAR STOP Ralph V. Switzer, Park Ridge, Ill., assignor to The Aldon Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 574,045 6 Claims. (Cl. 104249) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Among the salient objects of the invention is the provision of a railroad car stop which is substantially portable and which can be instantaneously attached to or removed from the rail without the requirement of special tools.

Yet another and equally important object of the invention is the provision in a car stop of a quick-action clamp whereby the stop may be clamped in a desired position upon the rail, permitting fast removal or relocation of the car stop with respect to the rail.

Yet another and equally important object of the invention is the provision of a car stop designed and constructed to stop railroad cars traveling in either direction upon the track, without resetting the stop.

Yet another and equally important object of the invention is the provision of a railroad car stop which may be used effectively on either of the two rails over which the railroad car travels.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention viewed from the outer side thereof, showing the same in position upon a standard rail;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, my improved railroad car stop includes a wheel-engaging plate 10. This plate is substantially in the form shown in the drawings, with its greatest altitude at its longitudinal center line and with its greatest lateral width at the base. The plate 10 has a web portion 11, the edges of which are flanged as at 12 and 13, the flanges 12 being curved from the top of the plate downwardly and outwardly toward the bottom of the plate 10, preferably upon a radius which substantially corresponds to the radius of a railroad car wheel, whereby, when the car wheel contacts either of the flanges 12, there will result a surface contact between the tread of the wheel and the flange engaged thereby.

The bottom edge portion of the plate 10 is channelshaped as at 14, with the channel opening in a horizontal plane so as to receive the head 15 of the rail 16, with the walls 17 of the channel engaging on opposite sides of the head as shown particularly in FIG. 3.

Formed in the Web 11 are a pair of openings 18 through which project lugs 19 of a clamping plate 20.

3,392,679 Patented July 16, 1968 The lugs 19 carry pins 19 to prevent withdrawal from the openings 18. These lugs 19 are formed as an integral part of the clamping plate 20, and such plate 20 is generally in the form shown in the drawings. In such form the plate 20 comprises web sections 21 having flanged edges 22. The medial portion of the plate 20 provides a boss 23 having an opening 24 formed therein. The lower portion of the boss 23 has an inturned edge 25 which engages beneath the rail head 15 opposite the channel 14.

Positioned through the opening 24 is the shank of a bolt 26 having an enlarged head 27. The shank of the bolt 26 aslo projects through an opening 28 formed in the web 11. The head 27 is substantially square-shaped and is disposed between spaced ears 29 formed integral with the web 11. These ears 29 cooperate with the head 27 to prevent the bolt 26 from rotating. A suitable pin 30 is carried by the ears 29 to prevent withdrawal of the bolt 26 from the opening 28. The shank of the bolt 26 is threaded and has threaded thereon a clamping nut 31 comprising a plurality of radially extending arms 32.

In use, the nut 31 is retracted from the bolt 26 a sufficient distance to permit the clamping plate 20 to be pivoted relative to the plate 10 a sufficient distance to allow the head 15 of the rail to be positioned within the channel 14 with the inturned edge 25 of the plate 20 engaging beneath such head.

When the car stop is thus mounted, the operator threads the nut 31 upon the bolt 26 in a direction to tightly clamp the car stop in position upon the head 15. By striking the arms 32 of the nut 31 with a hammer or the like, he effects a secure clamping relationship between the car stop and the head 15 of the rail.

In use it is preferable that the car stop be arranged with respect to the rail in a manner such that the nut 31 will be disposed on the outside of the rail to permit the operator to utilize the hammer for the purpose stated above.

As wheel-engaging flanges of the car stop are located on opposite surfaces of the plate 10, it is obvious that the car stop may be utilized for blocking a railroad car from moving in either direction upon the rail 15. It is also obvious that the structure permits the car stop to be utilized on either of the rails. The quick-action nut 31 permits the car stop to be quickly removed for relocation or for storage purposes.

It is apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a car stop which is capable of accomplishing the several objects of this invention. It is contemplated that the car stop he formed of such material as will be relatively light, thereby facilitating handling and manufacture of the same.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A railroad car sto comprising (a) a wheel-engaging plate having opposite spaced upwardly extending flanged edge portions curved conversely to conform to the curvature of a railroad car wheel and having a lower edge portion adapted to engage upon the head of a rail,

(b) a cooperative clamping plate in coplanar relation with said wheel-engaging plate and having an inturned lower edge portion adapted to engage beneath said head and forming with said first plate a chan- 3 nel opening in a horizontal plane to receive said head,

(c) means for hinging said plates to permit lateral movement thereof into and from clamping position with respect to said rail head,

(d) a bolt member carried by said wheel-engaging plate and extending through an opening formed in said clamping plate above said channel,

(e) and a clamping nut threaded on said bolt for clamping said rail head in said channel,

(f) said bolt being provided with a substantially square head and said wheel-engaging plate being provided with a pair of spaced ears between which said bolt head is positioned and prevented from rotating,

(g) and a pin carried by said ears to prevent displacement of said bolt head from between said ears.

2. A railroad car stop as defined by claim 1 wherein said clamping nut is provided with radially extending arms to facilitate clampingly threading said nut on said bolt.

3. The railroad car stop defined by claim 2 wherein said hinge means includes lugs at the top edge of said clamping plate extending through openings formed in said wheel-engaging plate and carrying pins to prevent displacement of said lugs from said openings.

4. The railroad car stop defined by claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes lugs at the top edge of said clamping plate extending through openings formed in said wheel-engaging plate and carrying pins to prevent displacement of said lugs from said openings.

5. A railroad car stop comprising (a) a wheel-engaging plate having opposite spaced upwardly extending flanged edge portions curved conversely to conform to the curvature of a railroad car wheel and having a lower edge portion adapted to engage upon the head of a rail,

(b) a cooperative clamping plate in coplanar relation with said wheel-engaging plate and having an inturned lower edge portion adapted to engage beneath said head and forming with said first plate a channel opening in a horizontal plane to receive said head,

() means for hing-ing said plates to permit lateral movement thereof into and from clamping position with respect to said rail head,

((1) a bolt member carried by said wheel-engaging plate and extending through an opening formed in said clamping plate above said channel, v

(e) and a clamping nut threaded on said bolt for clamping said rail head in said channel,

(f) said hinge means including lugs at the top edge of said clamping plate extending through openings formed in said wheel-engaging plate and carrying pins to prevent displacement of said lugs from said openings.

6. A railroad car stop comprising (a) a wheel-engaging plate having opposite spaced w wardly extending flanged edge portions curved conversely to conform to the curvature of a railroad car wheel and having a lower edge portion adapted to engage upon the head of a rail,

(b) a cooperative clamping plate in coplanar relation with said wheel-engaging plate and having an inturned lower edge portion adapted to engage beneath said head and forming with said first plate a channel opening in a horizontal plane to receive said head,

(c) means for hinging said plates to permit lateral movement thereof into and from clamping position with respect to said rail head,

(d) a bolt member carried by said wheel-engaging plate and extending through an opening formed in said clamping plate above said channel,

(e) and a clamping nut threaded on said bolt for clamping said rail head in said channel,

(f) sa'id clamping nut being provided with radially extending arms to facilitate clampingly threading said nut on said bolt,

(g) said hinge means including lugs at the top edge of said clamping plate extending through openings formed in said wheel-engaging plate and carrying pins to prevent displacement of said lugs from said openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,807,220 9/1957 McDowell l04--258 2,821,939 2/1958 Cortese 104257 3,173,380 3/1965 Hayes 104258 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

C. B. LYON, Assistant Examiner. 

